Portable electronic devices may include one or more batteries that may require recharging from time to time. Such devices may include electric vehicles, cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, wearable devices, navigation devices, sports devices, health analysis devices, medical data devices, location tracking devices, accessory devices, home appliances, peripheral input devices, remote control devices, and so on.
Some batteries may recharge wirelessly by accepting inductive power provided by an inductive power transmitter. For instance, a battery-powered electronic device configured to accept inductive power may be placed nearby a transmitter adapted to produce inductive power. In these systems, a transmitting coil within the transmitter may produce a time-varying magnetic flux that may induce a current within a receiving coil within the electronic device. The received current may be used by the electronic device to replenish the charge of a rechargeable battery.
In many examples, the inductive power transmitter may transmit more power than is received by the inductive power receiver. In other words, a portion of the magnetic flux produced by transmitter may not pass through the receiving coil, but instead may pass through and disturb other components within the transmitter and/or receiver. This wasted power is often dissipated as undesirable heat.
Accordingly, there may be a present need for an improved method of directing flux from a transmit coil to a receive coil within an inductive power transfer system.